Delta Air Lines just announced three new destinations Austin – Denver, Columbus, and Kansas City – as well as increased frequencies to San Francisco and Indianapolis.
- Denver: twice daily SkyWest Embraer E175 regional jet service starts November 9, 2025
- Columbus daily SkyWest Embraer E175 regional jet service starts June 7, 2026
- Kansas City twice daily SkyWest Embraer E175 regional jet service starts June 7, 2026
Delta Air Lines Embraer E-175
San Francisco mainline will go double daily starting April 13, 2026 and Indianapolis mainline will triple to three times daily starting June 7, 2026. They also previously announced Palm Springs and Cab San Lucas flights starting in the fall.
According to schedule data from aviation analytics company Cirium, Delta currently flies to 25 destinations from Austin. Along with their regional partners, they operate 22% of flights and offer 19% of seats out of the airport. (That doesn’t include transatlantic joint venture partner KLM, which serves Austin – Amsterdam three times weekly with a Boeing 787-10.)
That makes them squarely the number two carrier in the city, having surpassed American Airlines (which retrenched after building up to nearly 40 destinations during the pandemic). American is now 14% of flights and 12% of seats – now just a percent ahead of United in both categories.
And today’s adds gives them them 30 announced destinations from the city. Delta’s release, though, calls it ‘nearly’ 30 so I wonder if a couple current destinations are on the chopping block to make room for these new flights.
Delta is duking it out with Southwest Airlines to become the anchor tenant at the airport, gaining access to the new midfield concourse that’s being built. Southwest currently represents 39% of flights and 41% of seats out of Austin.
Delta Air Lines As Seen From The Austin Sky Club
Delta has had discussions with the airport over:
- Building a new 30,000 square foot Sky Club located mid-concourse.
- Offering boarding direct from the jetbridge ‘if geometry allows’
- Potentially even keeping their current 9,000 square foot club
Year-over-year, Delta has grown traffic 12% and “already carried more than one million passengers to and from Austin this year.” Delta is also adding a flight attendant base in Austin later this year, in addition to the SkyWest base that now services Delta regional flights.
Initially with their big expansion in Austin, it appeared purely opportunistic. American was pulling out. Gates were available, and there won’t be any more coming online until the 2030s. They flew cheap short hops to nearby Texas cities, which looked like a play for flying migrants up from the border.
The flights appeared full flying to Austin, empty in reverse, and they were selling cheap. Harlingen service didn’t last.
But they needed time to organize their plans, which have been in the works for some time (interrupted by the pandemic). I believe I was first to report seven years ago that Delta intended to make Austin a focus city, based on advertised sales jobs in the city.
American interrupted those plans when they swooped in, grabbed gates, and started running regional jet flights that ran into problems with their pilot scope contract and that were often poorly-timed and lost money.
Delta seems to be announcing service and then growing what works, beginning with regional jets even on routes with existing competition (like mainline jets from Southwest, United and Frontier to Denver), and making a play to be the city’s dominant carrier of the future – even besting Southwest, as Delta President Glen Hauenstein says that carrier’s most loyal flyers are now leaving them as it blows up its brand. These adds give them them 30 announced destinations from the city.
No thanks, Delta.
In before 1990 & Tim Dunn have their useless daily 38 message back-and-forth…
This should help speed the exodus from Austin.
One can make all sorts of good or bad remarks about any company…Delta is no exception. However, the actual figures from reputable accounting/travel firms confirm that people are willing to pay more for Delta. This speaks volumes to Delta’s credibility as a good company. The fact that they are going after Southwest shows that Delta aims to squash them on their own turf. My sentiments are “go for it”.
What is the demand for so much capacity between Austin and Indianapolis?
Curious to see how much the AM/DL JV messes with Delta’s plans. AUS clearly has its own demand to the US, but DFW and IAH print money to small runways in Mexico and the now absent AM JV makes that a little harder to compete with the sheer scale of DFW and IAH.
Good for Delta. Cool new routes. Curious to see how it all plays out. I don’t really see Southwest running away anytime soon, but while their changes may make the current southwest loyalists leave them, their rumored “premium” changes would seem to attract more of the traditional US3 loyalists (well, more than the previous WN offering)
These decisions have already been made in AUS and airlines will be signing new 10 year leases by October. DL will grow to 15 gates all in existing concourse A along with AA who will grow to 9 gates. WN will move to the new midfield concourse with 18 gates, and UA will have 5-6 gates and new United Club there as well. Its clear DL’s long term plan is to build a Texas hub in AUS over the next 5-7 years.
Will DL add Chicago from AUS. Its one of the largest markets and one thing holding back some business travelers from going all in with DL. I also see that DL could add more close regional destinations like ELP, OKC, TUL, XNA.
Bob is right
DL is committing to further AUS expansion because it is not interested in waiting for a bunch of gates in 5 years when the new terminal/concourse opens.
DL has successfully opened 2 new hubs in the past 10 years and is ready to make AUS its third. No other airline has demonstrated the ability to grow in other airline strength markets like DL and get a revenue premium on its network in the process.
WN is trying to right its own network and does not have the financial bandwidth to take on DL in a non-hub city.
Greg R is correct that DL will grow AUS to serve the largest business markets and Chicago is one of those. Based on DL’s addition of LAX to both HKG and ORD and AUS-DEN, DL will grow in UA”s backyard where it needs to
regarding Mexico, DL is far more interested in addressing the lack of connectivity of its network within the southern/southwest US than it is in trying to copy AA and UA’s network to smaller Mexico destinations.
@ Tim — You are so full of bs.
@Roberto,
It’s nauseating…and Gary won’t do anything about it.
@Tim – “successful” is a rather subjective term, as is how one defines a “hub.”
DL’s SEA hub is underperforming by most measures…and it’s losing money. Yes, DL successfully stood the hub up. It functions. Using financial and experiential metrics, SEA lags…badly. It’s the worst performing hub of ANY of the big-4.
I think of BOS as a tertiary TATL gateway and O+D airport rather than a hub. Not many connections occurring in BOS unless you are crossing the pond. I’m open to data that clears up any misconception I have about BOS.
And then there were the “focus cities” that weren’t much of a focus…other than RDU.
All this said, I am excited to see DL build a hub in AUS…we all know it’s coming. DL needs to fill that huge hole in their route network that emerged when they closed their DFW hub. I’m also happy to have the opportunity to not have to fly through ATL during the stormy season.
Now, I’m sure DL is on the edge of their seat waiting for my route wish list from AUS…so here goes: DFW/DAL, IAH/HOU, MIA, FLL, ORD/MDW, PIT, PHL, SAN, SNA, PHX, CLT.
Of all the places where they can pick up traffic from WN’s self-inflicted wounds, they choose AUS? Puzzling.
And not even the SFO flight makes sense, as United is the airline of the tech worker; Delta’s service isn’t leaps above UA’s, and they both fly full size jets with seatback screens and good, not too expensive, Wi-Fi (not the same pull over, let’s say, AA).
Parker,
Sadly, you are convinced by someone that uses incomplete data to rank hubs; you do realize that SEA is a global hub and that the supposedly groundbreaking report you cite does not include international revenue and cannot “see” how domestic flights are connected to international flights. Domestic flights that are part of an airline’s international itinerary are valued quite low.
And even if DL doesn’t make that much money at SEA, how is that DL has figured out how to grow multiple new hubs and still be the most profitable US airline and no one else has figured that out?
And BOS is very much a full-fledged hub. Focus cities don’t have a half dozen or more widebody international flights per day.
Mary,
By your categorization, DL is the airline of the finance sector which is far larger than tech. You do realize that DL carries far more corporate traffic than any other US airline -and perhaps any other airline in the world?
If DL is committing resources, they know what seats they can fill w/ high quality revenue.
It is clear that some people are threatened that DL is, once again, growing its network and growing into other carrier strength markets.
@Tim Delta makes its money on the strength of its AMEX relationship. Without it, DL would be f’d.
And, please don’t argue data with me. We are both smart enough to know that data can be twisted to suit whatever narrative one wants. Kind of like how you are bragging on another forum about DL being the #2 airline in DAL and HOU, where it’s #2 ranking is earned with a paltry 3% market share.
I’ll give you DL’s got great hubs in ATL, DTW, MSP and NYC. But you’re not going to try and convince me SEA is a smashing success. That dog won’t hunt.
Parker,
as has been pointed out multiple times, ALL US airlines make their money from their credit card deals. DL isn’t at some disadvantage because it figured out how to do it better than its competitors.
and it still speaks volumes that DL, the only one of the big 4, can be the #2 carrier at multiple TX airports.
and you still can’t explain what AA and UA have been doing for the last 50 years if DL has figured out how to make so much money from its core operations and its Amex deal that it can afford to lose money all over the world as you and others seem to believe.
and given that DL has a newfound boldness to take on UA in LAX-HKG and ORD and DEN-AUS even while continuing to raise pay for DL employees, UA’s greatness might come crashing down as quickly as it was built up
everyone else is just an also-ran in the industry right now
Another money losing hub launched by DL. ATL, MSP, DTW and maybe JFK are the only money makers. It’s well known that they are losing their shirt in BOS, SEA and more breakeven at LAX (once AA gets gates back they will be on top again) and SLC (no one outside of the church flys through there). They are just trying to get a TX foothold in the 4th city of TX. Good luck. Austin will be an after thought once the economy goes south and DL along with it.
Sorry, but I don’t think IND will be 3x mainline.
“San Francisco mainline will go double daily starting April 13, 2026 and Indianapolis mainline will triple to three times daily starting June 7, 2026”
It makes sense for DL to make Austin a focus city. They don’t have a hub in this important part of America. But I’m extremely skeptical it can ever be a major hub given what goes on in Dallas and Houston. I’m pretty sure DL realizes this, even if their fans don’t.
sunviking,
once again, how is that DL can lose so much money on so much of its network and still be the US’ most profitable airline?
and WTH has AA and UA been doing for the last 50 years that they haven’t figured out how to open money-losing hubs and still have industry-leading profits?
chops
it speaks volumes about AA WN and UA’s Texas hubs that DL is the 2nd largest carrier in a bunch of them.
clearly AA and UA don’t do a very good job of competing in Texas OUTSIDE of their hub metros.
DL can and will carry people to/from AUS just like AA and UA do from their Texas hubs.
It is WN that has an “all of Texas” strategy but it is heavily built around point to point short haul traffic that doesn’t make money and which WN is increasingly cutting.
DL’s taking on AUS is timed w/ the reality that WN has to fix its major hubs and doesn’t have the resources to deal w/ its second tier min-hubs like AUS.
and the extra revenue that DL will generate w/ WN pulling out of ATL-LGA is more than enough to fund a whole lot of new routes from AUS.
Wow, AUS really is becoming a Delta hub. Haven’t been in a while, but when I did travel there, I flew DL. Good for them, because Texas is big enough for each of the ‘big three’ to have a hub. I’m happy that @Tim Dunn seems happy; he’s been predicting this expansion for a while. It’s a vindication for him! *slow clap*
As for those that seek to silence their fellow commenters, while contributing nothing of value to the site… @Roberto, @Steve, say whatever you want, but, no, I’m not going to self-censor, and Gary’s a mensch for hosting us all, rarely micromanaging, and encouraging discourse, banter, and the exchange of ideas on here. If you’re really upset by us, engage or ignore. Unless, that is, you’re against freedom… *boo* *hiss*
1990
I’ll post here what I posted someplace else.
DL has gone from the 6th largest US airline in 1978 when the US airline industry was deregulated to the largest airline in the world by revenue. It’s also worth noting that AA and UA both opposed deregulation while DL supported it. the last 48 years show why DL has taken full advantage of deregulation to grow not just in the south where it was strong long before 1978 but also in highly competitive markets including NYC and LAX where it is the largest airline today, pushing AA and UA out of the top spots in both of those markets.
DL has managed to build 2 new hubs in the past 10 years and AUS appears set to be its next. AA and UA have started precisely how many new hubs?
WN is clearly in DL’s crosshairs as DL adds to its strength in the middle of the country but DL is clearly ratcheting up the competition with UA with new routes directly competitive with UA in its route announcements over the last two months.
DL didn’t do that by staying in its lane.
THAT is why I respect and cheer for DL.
and why so many people don’t want to hear my cheer them on. and why they want the people that actually contribute to these forums to not post the truths they don’t want to read.
Tim,
Delta also closed 4 hubs in 20ish years. Pdx, dfw, mem, cvg, with an honorable mention of FRA. Not that AA and UAL aren’t guilty of closing hubs, but come on. Glass houses.
Largest by revenue, but not by passengers or fleet. You’re misrepresenting data..
It’s actually NOT worth noting anything of the crap you mentioned about deregulation. Those leadership teams are dead or retired. Those are entirely different airlines.
You also forget that Delta didn’t “outsmart” the competition. They benefitted from the mistakes of others, (Scott Kirby). They didn’t do a hostile takeover of NYC and LAX. NYC was given to them in a terrible trade deal, and LAX is under construction re: AA.
At the end of it, you don’t really contribute anything. You defend a company that steals money from passengers and tax payers.
You cheer them on because there’s nothing else going on in your life.
Southwest Airlines arrogance has caught up with them in the last few years.
We’ll know DL is serious when they add a few flights to DFW/DAL & IAH/HOU. Wonder when that will be.